Fathers
by matuisgman
Summary: The morning after Tali gets drunk


** I don't own Mass Effect disclaimer. This is during M3; I have changed things a bit. So this means Commander Alexander Grey Shepard's LI, Miranda is on board.**

Fathers

It had been a while since Tali lay drunk on the bar, she was by all proposes getting what humans would call a hangover. The quarian groans, her back is stiff from lying on the bar for hours. Her head is in a daze when the door opens and she hears the click of high heels. Tali ran through her mind for a moment wondering who it could be.

"Oh, you're still here?"

Tali groaned again and look up, "Hi Miranda, I was just leaving…"

Tali still didn't know what to think since Alex had brought Miranda back on board. The young quarian still had a crush on the commander, though having Miranda here wasn't really a bad thing. It is just the woman got on Tali's nerves; the engine room incident didn't really help. Tali got up but her legs were shaky and she stumbled slightly. However Miranda quickly came forward and steadied her.

"Hey now, maybe you should wait a little more," Miranda guides Tali to the couch, "Sit, I will get you something to help."

Tali slumped on the couch, and laid down on the arm rest. Miranda seemed a little too nice at the moment. She watched the brunette go behind the bar and start working, getting out two glasses and some ingredients. As Miranda was mixing them, a thought crossed Tali's mind.

"Did Shepard tell you about last night?"

Miranda thought a moment of how to respond, "Yes, Alex told me about your distress."

Tali gave a groan, "So he sent you to check up on me?"

Miranda walked over and handed Tali a glass, and sat down with her own, "No, I was just getting a drink."

The quarian sat up and gave a long look at her glass, "What is this?"

"It's a recipe to help with hang overs, and generally bad mornings," Miranda smiled, "modified of course for your physiology."

"Thanks."

The two women sat and drank. They really didn't have anything to talk about, nor were they friends. The only connection they had was Shepard. Though Tali thought that they did have fathers they came to despised. She than remembered the Alex had told Miranda. Oh, no.

"You must think I am silly?"

Miranda crossed her legs to turn toward Tali, "Why would I think that?"

"Getting drunk because of my father."

"You must still be grieving, it was not too long ago," Miranda rubbed Tali's shoulder, "It is perfectly fine."

"It's not that, you got to confront your father…and deal with him."

Miranda sat silently, Tail spoke up again, "I mean your fine with it…and I am still crying…"

Miranda's snort startled Tali, "I'm sorry…It's just your comparing to very different things."

"What do you mean?"

"Listen Tali, your father actually loved you. What he did was for you," Miranda smiled, "Actually I am a bit jealous."

While not completely true, it still got Tali's attention, "Really…you jealous of me."

"Unlike your father, mine simply saw me as a tool, a means to an end," looking down Miranda continued, "I always wanted him to be proud of me, say he loved me."

"But surly you…"

"No, not for a very long time. I was expendable, nothing."

Tali was silent so Miranda continued, "I have a feeling he was going to actually get rid of me."

Tali gasped, "How could you…"

"Something personal developed, which is why he made Oriana…a better copy of himself. It is possible if I didn't escape when I did…"

"I'm sorry Miranda."

"Don't be, it's in the past; my sister and I are free from our father."

Tali sat prehensile, "But my father still did something horrible."

Miranda thought for a moment, "Well yes…however unlike mine his choices were a desire to make things better…better for the Quarians…better for you."

"But isn't that what…"

"No Tali…they are two different things. Your father wanted to restore, my father wanted control."

Again Tali was silent, so Miranda spoke again, "If you father succeeded, your people would be on Rannoch, rejoining galactic society. If my father succeeded he would have a human empire that controlled everything by force, with him at its head forever."

"How?"

"Don't know…don't even want to think about it."

Both of their drinks were now done, Tali observed her empty drink. She was feeling better but not quite ready to leave. Prehaps Miranda was right to a certain degree, but she was still angry at what her father did. At least Shepard was there to help her through it; he was always there for his crew. That brought a laugh and maybe a small twinge of jealousy for the woman next to her.

Miranda turned her head toward the Quarian, "What?"

"I was just thinking about how Shepard is always there for us."

"He certainly gets the job done."

Tali sputtered, Miranda than realized what she could have meant, "That's not…I was just saying he is there for his friends."

Tali shook her head, "I'm sorry Miranda… I just still have my silly crush on Shepard."

Miranda snorts, "It's not silly."

Tali plays with her empty glass, "Yes it is, I mean why would he go for someone like me…when he can have someone perfect like."

Miranda smiled, "I'm not perfect Tali."

Tali looked at Miranda as if rolling her eyes, "I know that…it's just I'm a silly infatuated girl stuck in this suit…I can't give him what you can.

"What I give him has nothing to do with my body…he just sees you as a little sister, most of us do actually."

"Thanks, I think…Maybe I should have told him when I had the chance."

"He knew."

Tali's head turned as if to raise her eyebrows, "What!"

"He knew you had a crush on him."

"Why didn't he say anything?"

"He didn't want to hurt your feelings."

Tali just had a thought, "Wait…how you know all this."

"Kelly noticed, told me and I asked Alex if he knew."

Tali sank down, Miranda rubbed Tali's shoulder, "He just didn't feel that connection…he also felt you were still growing as a person, he didn't want to shut you down."

Tali shook her head, "He didn't think I could handle it?"

"Alex is not really pushy."

"Your right," Then Tali thought of who she was talking too, "I'm sorry Miranda I shouldn't be discussing my crush on Shepard with you."

Miranda snorted, "I don't feel threatened."

"That's good," Tali thought for a moment, "I kind of did last time... I don't know if it was envy or just worry."

"You didn't like the effect I was having on Alex?"

"No, I just … It really doesn't matter anymore does it."

"Not really, it was never a competition Tali."

"Really…it didn't feel that way."

At Miranda's raised eyebrow Tali snorted and continued, "Well you guys did use my engine room."

Miranda burst out laughing, and patted Tali's shoulder, "I'm sorry Tali…but believe me we were not thinking of you at all."

After a moment to settle Miranda continued, "It had to do with mass effect fields, seriously nothing to do with you."

Tali started to chuckle, "Oh."

Miranda rubbed Tali's shoulder, "So we good…feeling any better."

"Yeah, I'm good…thanks Miranda, I feel better."

The two women then continued to chuckle and their conversation went to more practical a business matters. After all Commander Shepard demanded the best from his crew, and neither were going to disappoint.


End file.
